The present invention pertains to the field of computerized systems which enter and track reservations made by consumers for scheduled passenger or cargo space provided by commercial carriers. More specifically, the present invention pertains to the field of such computerized systems wherein means are provided for allowing consumers and providers (e.g. the commercial carriers) to negotiate and contract for unscheduled passenger or cargo space when special circumstances give rise to an occasion for which the use of scheduled passenger or cargo space is unsuitable.
Various computerized reservations systems have been proposed for tracking reservations made by consumers for scheduled passenger or cargo space provided by commercial carriers. While many of these systems allow consumers to contract for and confirm reservations for such scheduled space, these systems necessarily offer services which are limited by the terms and conditions specified unilaterally by the provider at the scheduling of such passenger or cargo space. Since the scheduling of the passenger or cargo space is conventionally undertaken by the provider before any reservations are made and with little or no knowledge of the special circumstances faced by a consumer, if because of his special circumstances the consumer needs special terms and conditions which are not provided for in the scheduled passenger or cargo space, the provider is unable to adapt his services to meet the consumer's special needs. Thus, in each of the present computerized reservations systems, the providers must undertake the scheduling of passenger or cargo space without knowledge of special (i.e. not foreseeable or predictable) circumstances which a consumer may be faced with, and the consumers must select from scheduled passenger or cargo space having terms and conditions which may not meet their special needs. In this respect, the present computerized reservation systems do not optimize transaction efficiency between the providers and the consumers.